An Opto-Bio-Hydrodynamic Platform for Instructing Cardiac Left-Right Asymmetry Development

The spatiotemporal regulation of ciliary dynamics within the left-right organizer (LRO) governs cardiac laterality establishment through biomechanical signaling gradients. While targeted restoration of aberrant ciliary motion can theoretically rescue left-right patterning defects, existing manipulation strategies lack the non-invasiveness, micron-scale precision, and spatiotemporal programmability required for developmental interventions. Here, a multifunctional Opto-Bio-Hydrodynamic platform is presented to modulate ciliary motion with the programmable near-infrared light for instructing cardiac left-right asymmetry development in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. By the real-time modulation of a 1064-nm light beam, a direct optical trapping is demonstrated for the motile cilia, while uniform synchronization of ciliary beating is achieved through indirect optical regulation. Consequently, a coordinated ciliary rotational pattern triggers an enhanced recirculating flow, under which the methylcellulose-induced cardiogenesis abnormality is rescued in a fully controlled manner. By establishing mechanistic links among optically tuned ciliary dynamics, flow-mediated signaling, and organ asymmetry, this proposed strategy provides valuable insights into congenital heart defects and offers a promising biomedical platform for developmental bioengineering and mechanobiological therapeutics.